[MilCom] Re: Aircraft Crash - Savannah IAP

[Roland R. McCormick III]

I received this from another group and thought I would
pass it on to bring every one up to date.  The crash had
an unfortunate result in that both crew members died.
The story was posted on the NAMAR group and is an
AP article.

Mac
Savannah, GA
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Military plane carrying two crashes

A small military plane carrying two instructor pilots from Moody Air
Force Base crashed on takeoff Saturday morning, killing both, officials
said.

The T-6A Texan II, a single-engine turboprop trainer, was taking off
from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at 9:17 a.m. for a
return flight to the base in Valdosta when it crashed on airport
property, just west of the runway, said Maj. David Simons, spokesman
for the 165th Airlift Wing of the Georgia Air National Guard. The
wing's training division is based at the airport.

"The plane just basically crashed right after takeoff," Simons said.
"From what I understand there's very little left of the aircraft. It
hit very hard and there was a great deal of damage and fire."

The pilots were assigned to the 39th Flying Training Squadron out of
Moody, Simons said. He said the pilots were on a "routine training
mission."

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Families of the crash victims have been notified, however, Air Force
policy is to not release identification until 24 hours after that,
Simons said.

A fire that broke out in the wreckage was extinguished by the military
unit's own fire and rescue unit. The aircraft was assigned to the 479th
Flying Training Group at Moody.

Simons said that it's the first time in 30 years there has been a fatal
military plane crash at the Airlift Wing training center. In 2002, a
Navy Reserve pilot suffered minor injuries after ejecting from a
fighter jet that malfunctioned while landing during a training exercise
at the center.

Source: AP